No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Jolo island has long been troubled by the presence of Abu Sayyaf militants.

Researchers say they have identified the Facebook page of the Abu Sayyaf militant who beheaded two Canadians in the southern Philippines in 2016, and it has deepened the mystery about him.

Former Calgarian Robert Hall and fellow Canadian John Ridsdel were kidnapped in the middle of the night by extremists in the Philippines. The pair was held captive for months then ruthlessly murdered.

What will the story of the two young said-to-be-Canadian women discovered in the Mosul tunnel turn out to be?

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Do you remember the names Robert Hall and John Ridsdel?

Two Canadians were beheaded last year after being taken from a marina by Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

At least four people were killed and 23 others wounded in a grenade attack in the southern Philippines that appears to be unrelated to terrorism, officials said Sunday.

The deaths of Canadians Robert Hall and John Ridsdel at the hands of the militant group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines earlier this year were 2016's biggest regret for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A Norwegian man freed by militants after a year of jungle captivity in the southern Philippines described the ordeal Sunday as "devastating."

Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte declared on Saturday a nationwide "state of lawlessness" after a bombing police believe was orchestrated by Muslim militants killed 14 people in his home city.